Continuous backup software?

Hi, I am looking for recommendations for a continuous backup software. I am running Win 7 so the program must be compatible.

I regularly image my OS and use SyncBack to backup my data daily, however there are some specific files/folders I would like to backup continuously.

Freeware is preferred but not mandatory, reliability is.

So far I have discovered the following programs:

AJC Active Backup link
FileHamster link
DocShield link
Live File Backup link
NTI Shadow link

I would appreciate any comments from personal experience, thanks

 

Comodo Backup has an "instant synchronized" feature.

 

Maybe this'll be of interest:

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-folder-synchronization-utility.htm

 

This is not quite what you are looking for but it might be of interest.

Like you I back up my PC daily but want certain critical files and folders backup as they change. I looked at a number of options and selected one that would check for changes every 10 min and if it found a change it would backup to a remote storage facility (via the internet). I also liked the fact that up to 30 versions of the files could be retained. The service is called iDrive and you can get 150 gigs of storage for $49/year. I have been using the service for just under a year now and it has worked flawlessly. It is also possible to access your files from any PC rather than just from your own if you set up a special account (no extra charge).

http://www.idrive.com/

 

I have NTI Shadow 3 installed on my older machine. It was bundled with my Netgear NAS. It's mostly pretty good. One minor irritation: once in a great while, I'll find it "deactivated" (turned off), and must turn it back on. Otherwise I have been reasonably satisfied. If I had to give it a grade, let's say B+.

I even looked into purchasing NTI 4 last week for my new machine (rebate was available). I researched reviews a bit and there were quite a few complaints related to the bundled "Ninja" program that is packaged with the install. Using Shadow Defender, I tested the install of NTI's trial, and confirmed you can cancel out of the "Ninja" install (there's no opt-out; you have to be quick to click cancel during the second-half of the install). I'm fairly confident NTI Shadow 4 would fill my needs.

Ultimately, I passed on purchasing NTI Shadow 4 because I thought I'd give Windows 7 Backup a try (backing up data only to my NAS). Since I'm not thrilled with Windows Backup so far, (not very configurable and the max backup frequency is once a day), I will check out some of the other suggestions on this thread. As for purchasng NTI Shadow 4, the rebate is over, and I'm frugal enough to wait until the next rebate.

 

It depends on what exactly this 'continous backup' will consist of.

My favourite, Second Copy, lets you create profiles that will automatically copy files and/or folders to a location of your choice as soon as their content changes.

Screenshot: Frequency drop down menu; choose 'Whenever files change'.

http://www.secondcopy.com/secondcopy/tour/when.html

 

I think this one is close to what you search for a full drive backup.
http://www.cmsproducts.com/detail.aspx?ID=1354

There is also an Ultimate edition on the same website that has more features.

Haven't tried either of them.


For data files only, I would highly recommend OopsBackup
http://www.altaro.com/index.php

 

I use this http://www.superflexible.com/

• Synchronizes or Backs Up Files and complete folder structures in different locations, such as a PC, laptop, or online storage. There are no limits in terms of file sizes, the number of files, or filename lengths. The program fully supports Unicode characters so that it can copy filenames in all languages.
  
• Each sync job is saved as a profile so that you only need to specify the settings once. You can run multiple profiles with a single click. You can also run profiles from the command line. Profiles can be created using a wizard, or in advanced mode.
  
• Includes a scheduler. Schedule the synchronization of your data on a backup hard disk at a convenient time each day, or as frequently as you wish. You can also schedule profiles to run upon shutdown or log-off. On Windows NT/2000 or higher, the scheduler can run as a service - without users having to log on.
  
• Internet Support. Supports various Internet protocols, including FTP, FTPS, SFTP/SSH, WebDAV, SSL, HTTP, and Amazon S3 web storage.
  
• Compression and Encryption Support. Easily zip your files and encrypt them with strong 256-bit encryption. To unzip and decrypt, simply make a copy of your profile and copy in the opposite direction.
  
• Detects Moved Files. If you reorganized your folders by moving files to different locations, Super Flexible File Synchronizer will detect this and quickly perform the same moves, for example, on your laptop. No extraneous copying!
  
• SmartTracking. This feature keeps a database of all files so that it can detect file deletions and conflicts. You will find the SmartTracking checkbox on the Modes tab sheet (in Advanced Mode). A separate dialog will appear with related settings.
  
• Unattended Mode In this mode, no questions are asked while the profile is run. You can specify beforehand which kinds of files may be overwritten.
  
• Exact Mirror Mode. If desired, you can create an exact mirror of your data, even if this means that some files are deleted or replaced with older files.
  
• Copy Locked Files. If some files cannot be copied due to other software accessing these files, Volume Shadowing can be used on Windows XP or later to copy the files. If files can't be copied, the synchronizer will continue copying the remaining files, and then retry all those files that were locked, until all files have been copied successfully. A limit for the time spent on retries can be specified.
  
• Versioning: this feature enables you to keep multiple older versions of each file in the backup. There are several naming schemes available. See also Versioning / Filename Mangling.
  
• Partial File Updating (or delta copying): this feature copies only the changed portions of files in order to speed up the synchronization. See the Partial File Updating documentation
  
• Database-safe mode: This mode requires exclusive access to the files to be copied. If exclusive access is not possible, Volume Shadowing is used, or the program will wait until the exclusive access becomes possible.
  
• Can Use Recycle Bin for older versions of files that are overwritten, as well as for deleted files. This is a fairly unique feature because most programs will permanently replace older versions of a file. Using Super Flexible File Synchronizer, you will have a chance of retrieving overwritten files if you select the appropriate options.
  
• File Masks & Filters. Numerous ways to select/deselect files and folders are available.
  
• Daylight Saving Time / Time Zones. Since exact hour time differences can be ignored if the file size matches, you won't have any more problems if the file systems of two computers are off by one hour, or even several hours. Whenever possible, UTC (world time) is used to compare the timestamps of files.
  
• Easy Resuming On Disk Full. You simply make more space and ask the software to continue copying. It can pause right in the middle of a file until additional space is freed.
  
• Obsolete File Folders. If you occasionally move obsolete files to a specially designated folder, this usually causes trouble with traditional file synchronizers. They will copy the obsolete files back from your laptop right into the folders where you moved them out of. No longer! If you use the Select Folders and Files option, you can specify folders for obsolete files using the right mouse button. These folders are then taken into account for moving files into them, but not for copying files out. Thus, the synchronizer does the same moving of obsolete files on your laptop that you previously did on the PC, but it does not waste any time copying all obsolete files between the two machines.

NTI Shadow is not very good by comparison

 

is GFI Backup capable of doing continuous backups? i know it can synchronize ur backups, but does anyone know if it can do continuous syncing?

 

SyncBack SE allows for continuous backup.

 

Regarding OopsBackup, I'd like to point out the following points :
- It is very easy to install and configure
- When you chose a removable HDD as destination, it quietly monitor changes and backup changed files as soon as the HDD is reconnected
- It uses a technique they call "Reverse differential backup", that handle versioning nicely : the latest version of a file is always directly accessible without the software on the backup destination, and only differences with previous versions are archived, hence a high efficiency on capacity.

 

So if you wanted to open one of these versions (say the 2nd to last one) without the software could you? That is, can you simply open a version of the file rather than restore it, and could you do this without the program?

 

No. But I think you can make of choice of not using "Reverse Delta Backup" and in that case I think you can (but I have not experimented with this).

 

Thank you

 

FreeFileSync has a separate RealtimeSync program that can be used to launch any command when monitored folders change. One command that can be executed is a FreeFileSync sync. FreeFileSync is open source and works on Windows (x64 included) and Linux.

 

I have used ViceVersa for 3 or 4 years with perfect results and can be set to update on file changes.I'm no computer child so if it works for me it has to be good!


http://www.tgrmn.com/

 

If the backup partition is on a separate drive you might want to think about a software RAID 1 setup.

 

Karen’s Replicator (freeware)
http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptreplicator.asp

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/the-geek-blog/backup-data-easily-with-karens-replicator/

http://www.wolfhawke.com/tech/krbackup.php?s=1

 

Yadis! Backup should do it and it's free.

From their site (http://www.codessentials.com/products/yadisbackup.html):

'The marked folders are backed-up real-time (no scheduling needed!).'

I tried in the past and found it a bit heavy on resources, tough.

I'd rather go with a SyncBack free (or similar) batch scheduled every 15 minutes.

 

Hi all,

Great forums..I've been following the posts on this forum for a while though this is my first post hopefuly I can become a more active member

I agree with MerleOne, i use oopsbackup, i also use Acronis which is better for image based backup - but for continuous oops is great.

 

try Rsync for windows. Just google it.

 

Hi newbino,

Do yourself a favor and checkout ViceVersa Pro. It does what you want, with the added ability to backup open/locked files!

Imho, it's a great data-backup/sync app.

Aaron

 

Newbino, File and Folder Watcher is a utility that may be of interest. While I have not used it myself, the utility appears to be capable of monitoring a specified folder(s) and detecting new/changed files, upon which it can then execute a user-specified command. Additionally, “Files are only processed when they have finished being written to disk -- so... files... will not be processed prematurely.”